Limited access to advanced coursework, medical care, food and employment opportunities continue to daunt students in many rural communities, according to a report released today by AASA, The School Superintendents Association, and The Rural School and Community Trust.

The new edition of Why Rural Matters, from the nonprofit, nonpartisan Rural School and Community Trust, provides an overall "priority" ranking of the 50 states, showing the greatest needs in rural education.

Why Rural Matters 2015-2016 is the eighth in a series of biennial reports analyzing the contexts and conditions of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the need for policymakers to address rural education issues in their respective states.

Why Rural Matters 2013-14 is the seventh in a series of biennial reports analyzing the contexts and conditions of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the need for policymakers to address rural education issues in their respective states.

The May 2013 issue of Rural Policy Matters includes the release of “Violence in U.S. K–12 Schools,” a Rural Trust special report; Why Policy Matters: Legal Interventions, the fourth in our series on the importance of policy advocacy; a story on the 2013 rural winner of a Leonore Annenberg College Scholarship and a story announcing the elementary school recipients of awards from the Leonore Annenberg School Fund for Children. Rural School Funding News covers a variety of important developments in school privatization efforts as well as finance lawsuits and state budget fights. There’s also important School Discipline News and a graph.

The April 2013 issue of Rural Policy Matters features a stories about a place-based youth leadership initiative in Glouster, Ohio; how sequestration will affect rural schools; the 2014 White House education budget; selection of the 2013 Global Teacher Fellows; School Discipline News; Rural School Funding News; and a graph.

Why Rural Matters 2011–12 is the sixth in a series of biennial reports analyzing the contexts and conditions of rural education in each of the 50 states and calling attention to the need for policymakers to address rural education issues in their respective states.

Nearly one in four American children attend rural schools and enrollment is growing at a faster rate in rural school districts than in all other places combined, according to Why Rural Matters 2011–12, a biennial report by the Rural School and Community Trust.

In this urgent and insightful book, John Merrow draws on his experience as a reporter for PBS and NPR to examine this question and others, and offer possibilities and solutions for a new education system.

The April 2011 edition of Rural Policy Matters includes stories about the parallels between recent urban school consolidation proposals and consolidation initiatives in rural areas; a report on a recent court decision that will affect the ability of states to provide tax credits to cover costs of private education, among other things; an update on the Formula Fairness Campaign; the latest installment in our series on school finance, this time addressing teacher compensation; Rural School Funding News, and a graph showing the number of schools in rural, town, city, and suburban locations.

The March 2011 edition of Rural Policy Matters includes a story about the North Carolina Rural Education Working Group’s conference that addressed disciplinary policies among other topics; a new series on teacher compensation; coverage of the latest webinar in the Rural Schools Innovations Webinar series; an update on the Formula Fairness Campaign; the latest installment in our series on school finance, this time addressing teacher compensation; Rural School Funding News, and a graph showing the rise in the rates of students participating in free and reduced lunch programs, and more.

The February 2011 edition of Rural Policy Matters includes articles about a new report on school consolidation, an initiative to change Highly Qualified Teacher rules; Discipline rulings that affect schools; Categorical Weighting in school finance formulas; an article by Marty Strange; Rural School Funding News, and more.